August 21, 2007
After our very fast pace schedule last year experiencing the sights of Rome, Italy, Israel, Sardinia, Sicily, and Greece, this year we decided to enjoy a laid-back summer exploring just the classic cruising grounds of Turkey from Finike to Bodrum in southwestern Turkey. This allowed us time to both relax and also work on the boat. With the cruising in Turkey being the best in the Mediterranean, this summer couldn�t have been more delightful.
In May 2006, Mary had injured her left knee. At the time she thought it was an acute case of bursitis. While back in Florida over the winter she found out that she had completely torn her ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) causing her knee to become quite unstable. She underwent arthroscopic surgery on February 26 to have a new tendon attached.
After arriving back in Turkey on April 16, we spent 9� weeks in Marmaris before setting sail for the summer�s cruising. We spent the first two weeks on the hard at Marmaris Yacht Marine before putting Kuhela back into the water. While Mary�s knee continued to heal, Phil used the time to work on needed boat projects. Our marina had quite a multi-cultural atmosphere, and Mary�s knee brace became a great way to meet a variety of people. Everyone wanted to help her whenever possible, and it was amazing the number of other cruisers that had had a similar operation. In the beginning, Mary was unable to walk long distances and became tired quite easily, even while wearing her flexible knee brace, due mainly to the uneven pavement encountered in Turkey. Finally at the beginning of June, Mary was once again walking two to three miles a day, and we were ready to go cruising. |
